Katsura Hinagiku
Hinagaku Katsura is the second female protagonist of Hayate the Combat Butler. Shesecond female protagonist Hinagiku Katsura is the current Student Council President, and kendo club president at Hakuō Academy. She is 15 (currently 16) and is an expert with swords, specifically kendo. Her family is also quite wealthy like most of the other girls at Hakuou. She can also speak as many as 17 languages. She first meets Hayate when he is lost on the huge Hakuō campus and ends up rescuing her. She had been helping a baby bird who had fallen out of its nest, but due to her fear of heights, had become stuck without her realizing it. Hayate ends up helping her down the tree, and then promises that he will help her should she ever call for him. In gratitude, she invites him to the top of the school's clock tower, where only student council elites are allowed. She allows Hayate to call her by her first name and also seems to be infatuated by Hayate and his attractive personality. However, in volumes 9 and 10, it is revealed that Hinagiku suffers from a past nearly identical to that of Hayate's – she, along with her sister, had also been abandoned by their biological parents, who left them with a debt of 80 million yen (approximately 1 million US dollars) shortly before Hinagiku's sixth birthday. Following this, her sister, Yukiji, managed to pay off the debt (albeit through what the manga depicts as rather dubious means) and the two of them went to live with the Katsura family, as Mr. Katsura had been Yukiji's elementary school teacher. The hair clip Hinagiku is always seen wearing was a birthday present from her real parents. When Hinagiku finally sees the beautiful view from atop the clocktower on the night of her 16th birthday with Hayate's help, though, she finally realizes that she actually loves him. She had been afraid of admitting this to herself because she was scared that she would forget about her past if she fell in love with him. Later on in the series, after many interruptions, Hinagiku manages to confess her love for Hayate to Ayumu in order for her to help clear her conscience. Upon hearing the news, Ayumu cheers up Hinagiku, leaving her confused. She explains that although her feelings may not be returned, she is content to be with Hayate nonetheless and encourages Hinagiku to try her best, provoking a competition between the two friends. Hinagiku is sometimes referred to as being rather masculine for a girl by other characters in the series. This is exemplified on Valentine's Day in volume 7, where Hinagiku is given a lot of chocolates by female admirers. Miki suggests this is because Hinagiku is seen as being "cooler" than the boys, and the fact that she was rather domineering at a younger age. This is similar to how Hayate is seen as being rather feminine. When Hinagiku tries to confess her love to Hayate, he surprises her with his feelings, telling her that the one he loves is none other than Athena and that he needs to confess his feelings to Athena. Hinagiku advises Hayate to pursue his feelings and not be hesitant. She met Athena prior to meeting Hayate a year before. When she goes back to the mansion she's staying at, Hinagiku breaks down in tears, whilst trying to accept the fact that Hayate loves someone else. In later chapters we see that Hinagiku has decided to help Hayate and the others when King Midas made his move and attacked the hotel where the others were staying. She goes to Athena's mansion to help Hayate defeat King Midas and rescue Athena. Once Hayate and Athena are reunited (while displaying great signs of affection for each other), Hinagiku leaves in tears trying to give them some privacy. The next day, after the Athena conflict is resolved, she learns from him that Athena turned him down, but Hayate escapes before she is given a chance to pursue the topic. In Chapter 300 and 301, Athena (Alice) while in her child form calls Hinagiku her "Mama" and Hayate her "Papa" causing the two to be greatly embarrassed as those present make jokes on the misunderstanding. She eventually goes to live with Hayate in the Violet Mansion after Athena threatens to tell Hayate about Hinagiku's feelings for him. Listening to Hayate's refusal of dating girls, Hinagiku decides to help him as of getting close to him. Hinagiku suppresses her fear of heights for the sake of saving Hayate against Himegami. She confesses her feelings to Hayate in the final chapter of the manga, but his answer is not shown. Hinagiku is the most popular character in Hayate no Gotoku. She has won numerous anime/manga popularity contests on the internet, the most significant of which is by winning first place in the 2009 International Saimoe League (the most prestigious and the most popular female-moe anime online poll). Category:Hayate the Combat Butler Characters Category:Females Category:Female Characters Category:Anime Characters